Day: January 23, 2025

With both the big game and Valentine’s Day Swift-ly approaching, football fans faced a heart-pounding dilemma: Would they rather see their favorite NFL team win the Super Bowl or find true love?

A recent survey by online betting platform Wetten punted this question to 2,000 single football fanatics, and the results might surprise you.

Survey says: love isn’t dead (but just barely). A whopping 55% of New York NFL fans said they would choose to find love over a Super Bowl win. That means one in every two New Yorkers who participated in the poll would happily ditch Cupid for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The poll also huddled up fans across the country to gauge team loyalty.

Detroit Lions fans led the charge for football over feelings, with 74% saying they’d trade love for a Super Bowl win. Los Angeles Chargers fans weren’t far behind at 60%. Meanwhile, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens fans tied for third, with 58% of both groups opting to see their team rush the field rather than snag a hot date.

Wetten’s survey also found that the single ladies surveyed were likelier to choose a Super Bowl ring over an engagement ring: 51% of women who participated in the poll chose their NFL team over a love connection, compared to 46% of men.

Super Bowl LIX kicks off Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, with rapper Kendrick Lamar headlining the halftime show. Four teams — the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, and Kansas City Chiefs — remain in the hunt for football immortality.

Luckily, in Brooklyn, love and the love of the game can coexist. From cozy sports bars to lively watch parties, there’s no shortage of places for football fans to mingle — single or spoken for.

Where to watch

Acoustik Garden Lounge (Bedford-Stuyvesant)
1515 Atlantic Ave. 4 p.m.
Free admission, RSVP encouraged
Vibe: This cozy event space features a menu of delicious West African bites and a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy the game.

Little Beaver (Bushwick)
24 Saint Nicholas Ave., 4–11:30 p.m.
Free admission, RSVP encouraged
Vibe: A dive bar with character, perfect for fans who love an ice-cold beer and a shot to go with the action.

Black Forest Brooklyn (Cobble Hill)
181 Smith St., 6:30 p.m.
Admission $10
Vibe: A German-inspired bar and restaurant with authentic dishes and big draft beers to match the excitement of the game.

The Dram Shop Bar (Park Slope)
339 9th St. 5–10 p.m.
RSVP for $10
Vibe: A neighborhood favorite offering classic American eats with a Tex-Mex twist, plenty of TVs, and a warm, friendly atmosphere.

Bk Backyard Bar (Williamsburg)
151 Banker St., 12–11 p.m.
General Admission: $25 | Puppy Bowl: $5 to watch, $10 to participate
Vibe: Bourbon Street meets puppies! Enjoy a Mardi Gras-themed watch party featuring an early afternoon Puppy Bowl Live, hosted by Best Friends Animal Society. Proceeds from Puppy Bowl tickets support pet adoption initiatives.

Speed cameras in NYC are an ongoing controversy.

Spread out throughout the city, they are the source of many drivers’ complaints and are viewed by many as a money grab. But a new report released on Thursday shows that lead-foot driving—and road tragedies—have significantly decreased over the past 10 years since cameras were first installed on city streets. 

The NYC Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new research shows that speeding has been reduced by 94% in locations where speed cameras are located. The report, which analyzed data from the start of the program in 2014, found that speeding violations dramatically decreased in areas where cameras were installed.

The report, which zeroed in on recent years from 2021 to 2023, also found that speed cameras effectively reduce traffic injuries and fatalities. According to the report, streets with cameras installed in 2022 saw 14% fewer injuries and fatalities than locations without cameras. 

But politics could prevent the speed-camera program from continuing. A law in Albany permitting the use of speed cameras throughout New York will expire this year unless the state legislature reauthorizes it before June.

DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez is urging state lawmakers to take action and greenlight the program. 

“One in four traffic fatalities involves speeding, and speed cameras are one of the most effective tools we have to change reckless driver behavior and prevent tragedies from happening,” Rodriguez said. “It isn’t a coincidence that locations with speed cameras have seen massive reductions in speeding, fewer deaths, and fewer injuries. 

Speeding, the DOT report noted, is a leading cause of serious crashes. In fact, speed-related fatalities doubled from 78 deaths over the course of 2018 and 2019, to 148 deaths throughout 2020 and 2021, according to the report. 

Speeding often goes hand-in-hand with other reckless driving behaviors, the report noted. Motorists who are speeding are much more likely to run red lights because “vehicles traveling faster need more time and take a longer distance to come to a complete stop,” the report reads, thus bypassing the stop-cushion of the yellow light. 

The cameras work, according to Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, a vocal transit advocacy group in NYC.

“New York City’s school zone speed camera program is effectively changing behavior and slowing down the vast majority of speeding drivers,” he said. “But this study shows that there are a small number of egregious recidivist ‘super speeders’ out there who continue to put New York families in danger. This lifesaving program should be extended, and Albany should act to slow down this small percentage of reckless drivers who are putting the rest of us on the road at risk by requiring the installation of speed limiters in their vehicles.”

Bumps in the road for speed cameras 

But many opponents question the data and highlighted some potential drawbacks to speed cameras. 

A spokesperson for a Georgia-based law firm, Bader Scott Injury Lawyers, described a scenario called “hard braking,” when drivers stop short to avoid a crash. He added that there could potentially be other problems with speed cameras. One such problem could be speeding in areas where cameras are not located to make up for “lost time” in the surveillance zones.

“While speed cameras have been effective in reducing speeds, it’s important to consider potential downsides,” the spokesperson said. “For example, some studies suggest that they may lead to an increase in ‘hard braking’ incidents, potentially causing rear-end collisions. Additionally, drivers might reduce speed solely in areas with cameras, resuming unsafe speeds elsewhere.”

Ralph Bosco, a Staten Island resident, said he has often seen near-misses in traffic on streets with mounted cameras. 

“I’ve seen plenty of times people see a camera and jam on their brakes, almost causing accidents because they are afraid,” he said. “They are actually more likely to cause accidents.”

But a New Yorker named Carolyn said she “doesn’t really care” about camera surveillance.

“I don’t understand why people need to go faster than 35 on the 25 mph blocks,” she said. “35 mph is a decent speed to cruise around residential areas. I don’t need to reach highway speeds on the streets.”

Cameras aside, New Yorker driver Lisa Allen prefers a different approach to controlling speed: Using more law enforcement officials.

“I support more police on the roads issuing tickets for speeding, improper lane changes, no signal, cellphone,” she said. “It’s the only way people are going to change their ways and reduce accidents.”

In the meantime, the DOT’s findings are consistent with other research that shows speed cameras are an effective way to reduce speeding and improve traffic safety. Studies from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on roads in Maryland, Arizona and Washington, DC, found that the proportion of drivers exceeding speed limits by more than 10 mph declined by 70%, 88% and 82%, respectively, six to eight months after cameras were introduced. 

Speed-camera fines are $50. New Yorkers can read the full DOT report online at nyc.gov.